PFBC Unveils Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters

[DaveKile]

Press Release from the PFBC

ERIE, Pa. (Sept. 29) – Trout anglers who want an experience targeting bigger fish will have the opportunity to catch 14”-20” trout in eight Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters, unveiled here today at the quarterly meeting of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

Under the program, approximately 3,200 large trout will be distributed among the eight waters, one in each commissioner district. The trout will be stocked at a rate of up to 250 trout per mile, which is comparable to the numbers of fish of this size in Pennsylvania’s best wild trout waters.

The eight waters include:
Chester County, Middle Branch White Clay Creek, Section 3 (1.67 miles)
Dauphin County, Wiconisco Creek, Section 3 (0.74 miles)
Lackawanna/Wyoming Counties, South Branch Tunkhannock Creek, Section 4 (0.99 miles)
Lawrence County, Neshannock Creek, Section 3 (2.67 miles)
Lycoming County, Loyalsock Creek, Section 5 (1.49 miles)
Potter County, First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek, Section 4 (1.67 miles)
Somerset County, Laurel Hill Creek, Section 3 (2.33 miles)
Westmoreland County, Loyalhanna Creek, Section 3 (1.67 miles)
“We wanted to add an element of excitement to trout fishing and at the same time remind anglers that the trout season can extend well into the summer,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “These are the biggest stocked trout we raise, so anglers will definitely enjoy catching them. And the waters are regulated under Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO) regulations, which provides the opportunity to catch these fish multiple times.”

Under DHALO regulations, waters are open to fishing year-round. But anglers may harvest trout only between June 15 and Labor Day and the trout have to be a minimum of nine inches. From the day after Labor Day until June 15, these waters are managed on a catch-and-release-only basis and the creel limit is zero. Tackle is limited to artificial lures and flies.

Arway added that similar programs have proven very popular on other waters, such as Pine Creek in Lycoming County.

“These programs have successfully demonstrated that destination fisheries can be created, drawing anglers from across the state and even the country and providing an economic boost to local communities,” he said. “We’re confident our program will have the same effect and we’ll draw anglers to each of these eight destinations.”

The waters in Dauphin and Chester counties will be stocked with the larger trout in advance of the regional opening day of trout season on April 2. The other waters will be stocked prior to the April 16 statewide opener for trout. Each of the eight waters will also receive an in-season stocking in late April. Both stockings will include a number of these larger fish. The PFBC website or FishBoatPA app should be consulted for the actual stocking dates.

PFBC staff presented the concept of the new program at the last quarterly meeting, and then ran an online promotion asking anglers to submit suggestions for the name. More than 1,550 submissions were received with 144 different names recommended by the public.

“A committee reviewed the selections and the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters name was chosen,” said Leroy Young, Director of the Bureau of Fisheries. “This name ties the program uniquely to Pennsylvania and includes the new Stocked Trout Waters name, which replaces the previously named Approved Trout Waters beginning in 2016.”

 

[Camp]

Interesting. This might lure me to fish Neshannock and Loyalhanna at early season times when I might otherwise fish other DHALO waters.

 

[Takem]

I'm not too far from white clay. Never fished it. Tried to this spring but was flooded when I looked it up. I wonder when the first delayed harvest stocking will be?

 

[hendeylathe]

Kinda surprised they chose the upper delayed harvest area of Laurel Hill Creek. I expected the lower delayed harvest area to be chosen. I'll be fishin' where they ain't.
I wonder if Slippery Rock Creek was given any consideration. I only fished it twice (at the Heinz Camp Bridge). Nice looking creek but its a terrible drive up 79.

 

[PennKev]

hendeylathe wrote:
I wonder if Slippery Rock Creek was given any consideration. I only fished it twice (at the Heinz Camp Bridge). Nice looking creek but its a terrible drive up 79.

It is my understanding that creeks selected for this program had to already have DHALO regulations. Slippery Rock has FFO regs, not DHALO.

 

[Sylvaneous]

Neshannock already has a group that raises and plants some out-sized fish.

Syl

 

[krayfish2]

Anglers showed inteest in catching big fish? There's a surprise. I thought they went to New Zealand, Patagonia and out west for the food. I'm guessing those specific sections will be packed.....at leas for the first couple of seasons. Hope they plan to up the conservation officer patrols as I imagine the amount of poaching / shenanigans will increase with the size of the stocked fish.

 

[Acristickid]

Loyalhanna also gets bigger fish aside from the state stocks.

 

[troutbert]

acristickid wrote:
Loyalhanna also gets bigger fish aside from the state stocks.

Who stocks them?

 

[Chaz]

The daily limit is 3 fish, I don't know why the press release doesn't say that, unless PFBC in their infinite wisdom snuck a change in there.

 

[DaveS]

TB, Forbes Trail TU stocked that section for years. I'm not sure they still do, but at least two other local sportsmens organizations put fish in the DH. Also, it's not uncommon for fish to wash down from Rolling Rock club. I have heard of stocked tiger trout all the way down to the mouth of the creek.

 

[Acristickid]

There is a tackle store in town that does as well. In fact, directly behind the shop.

 

[geebee]

i'm shocked that white clay is on that list.

there is very little suitable habitat for large fish in that DHALO area IMHO, especially after last winters damaging storms.

theres one or two holes but the rest is wide thin water, even in decent flows.

we will just have to hope that we dont get a dry May & June like this year.

 

[Gone4Day]

krayfish2 wrote:
Hope they plan to up the conservation officer patrols as I imagine the amount of poaching / shenanigans will increase with the size of the stocked fish.

No way would the PFBC announce exactly when and where oversized trout would be planted to attract poachers. That would be entrapment. I’m sure it’s mere coincidence that there is exactly one such stream in each region. At the very least, they’ll have a nice concentration of fisherman that will commit a bunch of minor infractions. It may turn out as a net money maker for the PFBC. Kind of like a speed trap. :-o

 

[wgmiller]

Gone4Day wrote:
No way would the PFBC announce exactly when and where oversized trout would be planted to attract poachers. That would be entrapment. I’m sure it’s mere coincidence that there is exactly one such stream in each region. At the very least, they’ll have a nice concentration of fisherman that will commit a bunch of minor infractions. It may turn out as a net money maker for the PFBC. Kind of like a speed trap. :-o

I like this thinking. They probably have a business model that shows that fines will generate more than the cost of the program, thus creating a surplus... All under the auspice of a "large fish program" :-D

 

[JackM]

I like it.

 

[pcray1231]

Personally, I don't, but I'm not exactly upset by it either, as it doesn't harm me in any way. If other people like it, have at it.

I understand the concept of trophy hunting when it comes to wild trout, or even long-term holdovers.

But when it comes to freshly stocked fish, I really struggle to consider larger fish as more of a trophy than any other size.

A hunting analogy would be that stocked trout is like hunting planted animals put into a fenced enclosure. If the enclosure is large enough, and the experience is attempted to mirror a more natural one, it can be enjoyable. But you don't take any personal pride in success, ESPECIALLY not based on size of your kill, which is as big as was paid for.

The smaller the enclosure, and more unnatural size of the critters found within, and the less skill required, the experience becomes less enjoyable.

A trophy section is like paying more to put larger bucks in a smaller fence, and telling everyone that "this particular fence is where we're putting the mega-bucks, come and get em!"

 

[salmonoid]

pcray1231 wrote:
Personally, I don't, but I'm not exactly upset by it either, as it doesn't harm me in any way. If other people like it, have at it.

I understand the concept of trophy hunting when it comes to wild trout, or even long-term holdovers.

But when it comes to freshly stocked fish, I really struggle to consider larger fish as more of a trophy than any other size.

A hunting analogy would be that stocked trout is like hunting planted animals put into a fenced enclosure. If the enclosure is large enough, and the experience is attempted to mirror a more natural one, it can be enjoyable. But you don't take any personal pride in success, ESPECIALLY not based on size of your kill, which is as big as was paid for.

The smaller the enclosure, and more unnatural size of the critters found within, and the less skill required, the experience becomes less enjoyable.

A trophy section is like paying more to put larger bucks in a smaller fence, and telling everyone that "this particular fence is where we're putting the mega-bucks, come and get em!"

Plenty of people pay good money to "trophy" "hunt" in small quarters. I don't think they are hunting for the experience. They are hunting for the braggadocio - see that there rack on the wall - I shot that!

This move by the PFBC is not targeted at those of us who can go a couple of years stalking 21" wild browns, before finally landing one. It's catering to the crowd that needs to hang a "trophy" on the wall, regardless of how said trophy is obtained.

I have the same view on freshly stocked "trophy" fish. I caught two 18" brookies in two days and lost a similar size rainbow on another day on two different streams in ANF Memorial Day weekend. I didn't view them as trophies (the only reason they obtained the size they did was the hatchery held them in a special pen!), but I did enjoy the experience of walking about eight miles of stream to eventually encounter them. And I would have enjoyed that experience even if I did not encounter them. But not everyone wants to do the walking.

 

[Midge22]

This has no affect on me as i dont fish any of those streams (but against the whole thing), but if i did, i would be beyond livid. The destruction to these streams will be 10x as bad after the first year as it has been in the past. this is going to lead to land owner issues, causing posting due to slobs, and due to ignorant people who wont stay off any potential private property (think just like the situation every year up at the Erie Tribs). They will regret this decision in the long run.

 

[greenghost]

hendeylathe wrote:
Kinda surprised they chose the upper delayed harvest area of Laurel Hill Creek. I expected the lower delayed harvest area to be chosen. I'll be fishin' where they ain't.

Agree with that. But I remember when a sportsman's group used to stock this same upper section with mega-size fish every fall. (Not sure if they still do.) In the deeper water upstream from the parking area, I used to catch fish that would go 5-8 pounds back in my streamer-fishing days. The fish would holdover into the spring and sometimes even through the summer. I enjoyed fishing in a stretch where I knew I might hook into a line-stripping pig, even though it was stocked.

I'm all for the program, especially for marginal trout stream areas like SW PA.